Opening Water Drains

During breaks in the first big storm of the season I went out and cleared drainage on the Camp One Loop, Manley Gulch, and Pole Ten trails.
Pole Ten has a two trees down near the top and lots of pampas grass lower down but it is passable. I plan to clear the trees in spring leaving them to stop motorcycles until then.
Manley Gulch has one tree down mid way. Since motorcycles don't ride this often I'll get out and clear it soon.
Camp One Loop was cleared by CalFire and is wide open all the way including the top section that was very over grown.
Until things dry out some I'll be riding the logging roads and staying off the soft trails.
Enjoy,
Chris

Moguls Trail Closure

I met with JDSF and Caspar Creek Watershed Study staff yesterday at the Recreational Task Force meeting. Everyone apologized for not letting us know before closing the Moguls Trail. The reason for the closure is to immediately stop use that is contributing to soil washing into streams in the Caspar Watershed Study area. This study monitors water quality before and after timber harvest work. It is important for this study's accuracy to keep erosion not related to harvesting to a minimum. I asked to be given an opportunity to try and reopen the trail by addressing the erosion problems. In my opinion this would be the best long-term solution. Staff was open to this. I will set up a field meeting to look at the problems with staff and ask that the public be invited as well. This will not happen overnight so please respect this closure.


Chris

New Trail Signs

The State Forest has been placing new signs to help trail users find their way. It is good to see some work happening to improve recreation use on the forest! Unfortunately some signs have been torn out and shot up already.
I would like trail names, road numbers, and difficulty rating included at intersections but this is a great start!

Get out and enjoy!
Chris

Trillium Flowers

Trilliums are plentiful this year!
These are some of the first flowers of spring and one of my favorites.
One thing that is really neat about these flowers is that as they age their color changes from pure white to a dark burgundy.
Get out and enjoy the Forest!
Chris

Pygmy Tea

In Pygmy Forest areas high acidity turns water a red color, locals call this Pygmy Tea.
A hard pan keeps rain from soaking into soil and flat land keeps water from running off. This slows plant growth because roots are smothered. Some trees are around 200 years old and only ten or twelve feet tall, thus the name Pygmy Forest.
Exploring the Forest during and after heavy rains can be exciting. Get out and enjoy!